Dreamcatchers
by tinaa113
Summary: By the author formerly known as Deimos2 repost under a new pen name : Hermione enters a new junk shop” in D.Alley. She sees and is attracted to a beautiful dreamcatcher and buys it, without the owner telling her its history...and that it used to be part


**Title: **Dreamcatchers

**Author: **(Deimos2 before, now, tinaa113)

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary: **Hermione goes into a newly opened "junk shop" in Diagon Alley. She sees a beautiful dreamcatcher, and, instantly attracted to it, she buys it. The shopkeeper didn't tell her its history...and that it used to be part of a set. The nights it hangs above her bed she has strange dreams...and guess who owns the other one?

**Disclaimer: **I wish it belonged to me, but sadly, it doesn't.

**A / N: **This is a reposting of one of the fics from my old account. J It was originally posted 09-12-03, two years ago, and now, I've finally decided to continue it. J For the ones who've read this, well, I hope you review anyway. :P For the ones who haven't, well…you guys should review too.

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"I've never seen that shop before." Hermione said, looking in the direction of a small, hole-in-the-wall kind of shop, just beyond the way to Knockturn Alley.

"Oh, yeah, just some sort of junk shop. It's new, opened just a few weeks ago." Ron said dismissively.

Hermione moved to stand in front of the shop. She read aloud from the faded block lettering on the sign, "_A.N. Tiquus' Magical Items_." She peered through the dusty window and saw a tiny room stacked with boxes and full of shelves stretching all around the diameter of the shop.

"Hermione, we've got to go." Harry said, looking at his watch.

"Yeah, we've got to meet Mum and Dad at the Leaky Cauldron in a while." Ron said.

"Just a second." Hermione said, trying to figure out what that jeweled box in the corner of the window display was. "This looks cool."

"No, it's not. For heaven's sake, it's just _junk_, Hermione." Ron said in exasperation. Harry said nothing.

"Well, how would you know?" Hermione asked him hotly. "There could be some pretty interesting stuff there."

"_Could_ and _be_ being the operative words." Ron muttered.

Hermione scowled at him.

Harry grinned. "Ron, leave Hermione alone." He said, as always, playing the role of peacemaker between them. "Hermione, we've really got to go. We have to go back to the Burrow and pack."

"You go ahead. I'd like to have a look around there." Hermione said.

"Okay, do you want us to get your bags then?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Hermione smiled and handed her bags over to Harry and Ron.

"Hermione, you've got twice as many books as Harry and I've got!" Ron said, peering into the bag from Flourish and Blott's. "Do we need all these for school?"

"No." Hermione said. "Mum and Dad just gave me money as an advanced birthday gift, so I decided to buy a few books for me to read."

"_A History of the Development of Transfiguration._" Harry read the title of the book that Ron handed to him. "Fun reading, eh?" He said dryly.

"That sounds like a book we'd have to read for Transfiguration. Haven't you ever tried reading any other stuff?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I thought you were going to the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Oh right. Okay, see you later then." Ron said.

Hermione watched the two boys struggle away under a load of parcels and bags. When they were out of her sight, she climbed the set of small stairs and cautiously pushed the door open.

It did not look like a cheap junk shop at all. It was tiny, yes. But the floors and walls were painted white, and they were free of dirt and grime. The different items were arranged neatly on shelves that stretched around the shop. _Wow, _she thought.

"Welcome." Someone said. A small, balding wizard wearing a set of faded blue robes emerged from a door she hadn't noticed before, a polishing cloth in his hand. "May I help you?"

Hermione gestured to the outside of the shop. "I...uh, what's that? Um, I mean, why does it look different from the outside? I mean, it's so dirty and dingy, but still interesting." She added hastily. "And inside, it's so clean, and white."

The man laughed. "Yes, well. Before anything, I'm Mr. Tiquus. And about the difference of the shop from its outward appearance, well, I enchanted the windows myself."

"Why? Isn't it bad for business?"

"No, it isn't, not at all. You see, the different items in my shop are special. And I want them to go to people who'd really care for them." He said. "I am selective about my customers...if they don't accept my shop for what they see from the outside, then, well, I don't really see a point in allowing them to enter and buy my items."

_Okay...this guy is kinda weird._ Hermione thought. _But_ _he does have a point. _"Oh, I see, Mr. Tiquus." She said. "I'll just look around for a minute."

"Take your time. I'll be in the back if you need any help." The old man waved his polishing cloth cheerily and fairly skipped through the door leading to the back.

Hermione began to look at the different things on the shelves. There were some fancy jeweled boxes occupying the whole of one shelf. She opened one in curiosity and saw that it was just a plain box, the bottom covered in maroon-colored crushed velvet. She was about to close it when soft, lilting music began to play. She felt a chill emanating from the box and gasped in amazement as a tiny scene sprung up from nowhere inside it: a "lake" suddenly surfacing near the left side. Pine "trees" and small "plants" covered in "snow" seemingly grew out of the velvet, and miniscule "people" appeared, some skating on the lake, some standing around a small "fire." It was amazing.

She closed the lid and moved on to the other boxes. One of them held a beautiful garden complete with a tiny fountain, small twittering birds and butterflies. Another held a small model of the universe, all the planets and moons moving in their orbits, stars being born and dying. And so on and so forth. One of the boxes even held a miniature model of Hogwarts, complete with the Quidditch pitch, the lake (from which a long tentacle emerged from time to time) and the Forbidden Forest.

She moved on to the other shelves, inspecting the items scattered about. A collection of glass animals that really moved were on one shelf, on another were a collection of jewelry. One stunning diamond necklace catches her eye. "The Hope Diamond." She read aloud.

"That is the original." She looked up and saw Tiquus standing in the doorway, watching her.

"Really? I thought it was in the possession of Muggles…it's been circulating from owner to owner, you know." She said, as if that confirmed the fact that the Hope Diamond was in fact, in the Muggle world.

"No, this is the original. The other one is a clever reproduction by a famous jeweler, who also happened to be a Dark Wizard. She placed a curse on the reproduction, since she was a Dark Wizard, and Dark Wizards do generally hate Muggles."

"Oh. That would explain it." Hermione inspected it more carefully, and when she looked up, Tiquus had disappeared into the back again.

Hermione moved on to the other shelves, looking at the other items. She had made her way around the room, when she came to a small wooden chest. She crouched on the floor and opened it carefully and she saw that it held only two things. A fairly large drawstring bag made out of soft cloth leaned against the side, and a small leather bound journal lay on the floor of the chest. She lifted the bag out and undid the ties, drawing out a beautifully made dreamcatcher. The "hoop" was made of willow, polished to a shine, and it was spattered with clusters of brightly colored beads, somehow imbedded in the wood. The strands that made up the web seemed made from silk, colored gold, silver and royal blue. There was a cluster of small, rose-shaped beads in the middle. And hanging from the "hoop" were exquisite bone carvings depicting different things, done with painstaking attention to every detail.

It was beautiful.

"Ah, the dreamcatcher." Tiquus said wistfully behind her. Hermione rose quickly, cradling the dreamcatcher gently against her stomach. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, very."

"I presume you know its history?"

"No," Hermione had to admit. "Not yet." It was surprising that she hadn't read about this particular topic, but, then again, like Ron said, most of the books she read were either directly or indirectly related to the subjects they had at Hogwarts.

"But I'm sure you know that they are Native American in origin, more precisely Ojibwe or Chippewa."

Hermione nodded.

"Well then. So, as legend has it, long ago, in the ancient world of the Ojibwe nation, the clans were all located in a general area of the place known as Turtle Island. This is the way that the old Ojibwe storytellers say how Asibikaashi (Spider Woman) helped Wanabozhoo bring giizis (suns) back to the people. Asibikaashi took good care of her children, the people of the land and she continues to do so till this day. But when the Ojibwe tribes moved to the four corners of the land to fulfill a prophecy, Asibikaashi had trouble had a difficult time making her journey to all those cradle boards so the mothers, sisters and grandmothers began a practice of weaving magical webs for the new babies using willow hoops or sinew and cordage. That's how the dreamcatcher came about."

"Wow. That's a great story." Hermione said.

"Yes, it is, isn't it? Do you know the superstition that goes along with it?"

"Yes." Hermione said. "The dreamcatcher will filter out all the bad dreams and only allow the good dreams to enter our minds when we are sleeping."

"That is correct. Of course, I cannot say so about all dreamcatchers...but this one is..._different_." Tiquus said thoughtfully.

"I'll take it." Hermione said firmly. "What do you want for it?"

"Oh no, I cannot name a price." Tiquus smiled. "You tell me what you think its worth."

Hermione rummaged about in her pockets. By the shapes she felt, she had about five galleons left. She sighed. It wasn't much to offer but still...

"I'm afraid I've only got five galleons." She said. "But I will take care of it and value it for the rest of my life, and I won't just leave it lying around. I'll hang it above my bed always." She added breathlessly.

"Deal." Tiquus smiled once more.

"You-you're giving it to me for five galleons?"

"Yes. Of course. Why not?"

"Well, its not that large an amount and I'm sure this must be worth a lot." Hermione hedged. _Shut up, stupid! What the hell is wrong with you? He already wants to give it to you...just go on and agree!_

"I think I liked the second part of your deal better. After all, I did say that I didn't want my treasures to go to anyone who wouldn't care for them." Tiquus took the dreamcatcher and bag from her and walked over to the counter. He replaced the dreamcatcher inside the drawstring bag and wrapped both carefully in a layer of brown paper. "Here you are." He handed it to her. "The money, please?"

"Oh...right." Hermione said. "Here." She dug in her pocket and handed him the coins. She took the parcel from him. "Well, I'd better be going. Thank you very much, Mr. Tiquus." She smiled at him and walked towards the door.

"Just one more thing." He called after her.

Hermione stopped, her hand on the doorknob. "Yes?"

He smiled strangely. "If anything, er, happens, I would like to be the first to know."

"Um, sure." Hermione said, wondering at his strange request. "No problem."  
She left the shop and glanced up at the sky. _Oh no._ She bit back a groan. It was dark already, with just a few rays of the sun glowing bright red from the east. But those too were fading quickly into the blue-black of night. She hurried down Diagon Alley and into the Leaky Cauldron. She looked around but the Weasleys weren't there.

"Hey! 'Ermione!" She looked up and saw Tom, the 'innkeeper' waving at her.

"Tom, did the Weasleys leave already."

"Aye, they did." He grinned at her. " Young Mr. Weasley told me tah tell you to foller 'em when you were done."

"Okay. Do you have any floo powder?"

" 'ere it is." Tom reached beneath the counter and removed a small, patched bag. Hermione opened it and took a pinch of floo powder. She kept a tight grip on the bag, lest it fall along the way and threw the powder into the flames.

"The Burrow!"

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Back in his shop, Tiquus was staring thoughtfully in the direction the girl had gone, a funny little half-smile on his face. Oh yes, this dreamcatcher was different. It served as a connection of some sorts. It had been part of a set. He remembered the other dreamcatcher. It was more or less similar to the girl's. Funnily enough, he remembered just exactly who he had sold it to. Narcissa Malfoy, if his memory was correct. Came in one day in one of his older shops in the area where they lived and just bought it. That was some time ago, around ten years or so. Paid a fortune for it, she did. A gift for her child on his birthday, she had said. A Malfoy and the girl. His smile widened. Yes, he had done the right thing in selling her the dreamcatcher. This was going to be interesting.

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**A / N: **There's no Draco/Hermione interaction for now...I'm setting the foundations - if you will - first. Um, let's see...if any of you noticed the shopkeeper's name -A.N. Tiquus- it's based on the etymology of antique, which is, obviously, antiquus. Please don't forget to read and review! ) Tell me if it was good, or bad; you can give me suggestions, or you can send me flames. ) Either way, at least you read this, right:P Thanks in advance!

**Don't** **forget to R&R! …Please? XD Even if you've read it already. LOL.**


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